Heuchera plant named ‘Peach Crisp’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Heuchera  plant substantially as shown and described, characterized by ruffled leaves, intense rust red spring leaf color, glossy rust red to amber summer leaves, medium plant size, short flowering stalks that are deep red with small white flowers, and excellent vigor.

Botanical denomination: Heuchera spp.

Variety designation: ‘Peach Crisp’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera and given the cultivar name of ‘Peach Crisp’. Heuchera is in the family Saxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Peach Crisp’ originated from a planned cross between Heuchera ‘Café Olé’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,922), as the seed parent, and Heuchera 817-1, a proprietary unreleased plant, as the pollen parent. Compared to the seed parent, Heuchera ‘Café Olé’, the new cultivar has rust red foliage rather than brown. Compared to the pollen parent, Heuchera 817-1, the new cultivar has leaves that are more ruffled and are rust red rather than purple olive.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Marmalade’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,945), the new cultivar has a smaller tighter habit, rust red rather than amber leaf color, and shorter flowers.

This new Heuchera is distinguished by:

-   -   1. ruffled leaves,     -   2. intense rust red spring leaf color,     -   3. glossy rust red to amber summer leaves,     -   4. medium plant size,     -   5. short flowering stalks that are deep red with small white         flowers,     -   6. and excellent vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (cuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by stem cuttings and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The photograph shows a two-year-old Heuchera ‘Peach Crisp’ in bloom, growing in a two gallon container in the shade house in late April in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Heuchera cultivar based on observations of two-year-old specimens grown in two gallon containers outdoors in full sun in April in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to an average of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:     -   -   Form.—Basal rosette, herbaceous perennial.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4 to 9.         -   Size.—22 cm tall from top of the foliage to the ground and             47 cm wide.         -   Habit.—Mounding.         -   Vigor.—Excellent.         -   Roots.—Fibrous, freely branching, fine, and white in color;             roots develop easily from cuttings. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Arrangement.—Basal.         -   Shape.—Ovate.         -   Lobing/division.—5 main lobes, with 2 to 3 shallow secondary             lobes.         -   Venation.—Palmate.         -   Margins.—Crenate and undulate.         -   Apex.—Mucronulate.         -   Base.—Cordate, lobes overlapping at the base.         -   Blade size.—Grows to 7.5 cm long and 6 cm wide.         -   Surface texture.—Both sides glandular.         -   Petiole description.—Grows to 18 cm long and 2 mm wide,             glandular hairs, Greyed Purple 186A.         -   Leaf color.—Spring, topside new mature leaves, between             Greyed Purple 185A and 187C lightening to Greyed Orange 174D             tinted Greyed Purple 184D, bottom side Greyed Purple 187B;             summer and fall topside Greyed Orange 177A and 176A,             bottomside Greyed Purple 187B. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Size.—Grows to 4.4 cm wide and 19 cm long.         -   Type.—Thyrse.         -   Number of flowers per thyrse.—80 to 120 per thyrse.         -   Number of thyrse.—About 13 in first spring bloom.         -   Peduncle.—Grows to 42 cm tall, 3 mm to 4 mm wide at base,             Greyed Purple 187A, glandular hairs, with 2 to 4 petiolate             leaves (ovate, blades grow to 4 cm long and 4 cm wide, 5             lobed, margin undulate, and crenate, color the same as the             leaves).         -   Pedicel.—Variable in size, with glandular hairs, Greyed             Purple 187A.         -   Bloom period.—Late April to June in Canby, Oreg. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—2.5 mm wide and 4 mm long.         -   Description.—Glandular puberulent, ovoid.         -   Color.—Top ⅔ Red Purple 62D, bottom ⅓ Red Purple 58A. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Perfect.         -   Shape.—Campanulate.         -   Size.—5 mm long and 3 mm wide.         -   Petal description.—5 in number, 2 mm long, spatulate with a             clawed base, reflexed, tip acute, margin entire, glabrous on             top and bottom side, White NN155C on both sides.         -   Calyx description.—5 mm long and 3 mm wide, with 5 lobes,             divided ½ way to the base, glandular hairs on both sides,             tip obtuse, margin entire, both sides White N155C on top ⅔,             Red Purple 58D on bottom ⅓.         -   Stamen description.—5 in number, 2.5 mm long, filament 2 mm             long, White NN155B, anthers White 155A, no pollen, male             sterile.         -   Pistil description.—One central two beaked pistil, 4 mm             long, ovary 2 mm long and Yellow Green 145B, style 2 mm             long, White NN155B.         -   Fragrance.—None.         -   Lastingness.—Each thyrse blooms for about 2 weeks on the             plant. -   Fruit:     -   -   Type.—Two beaked capsule.         -   Size.—7 mm deep by 2 mm wide.         -   Fertility.—Good.         -   Color.—Greyed Brown 199A. -   Seed:     -   -   Shape.—Linear.         -   Size.—2 mm long.         -   Color.—Black, RHS 202A. -   Disease and pest tolerance: No known resistance to rust, a common     problem with light leaf type Heuchera. Excellent disease tolerance     to powdery mildew. All Heuchera are susceptible to root weevils. 

1. A new and distinct Heuchera plant as herein illustrated and described. 